Unit 1Life is a learning curveListening to the worldSharingScriptsH = Hina; W1 = Woman 1, etc.; M1 = Man 1, etc.Part 1H: I have a full-time job but I like learning new things in my spare time. At the moment, I’m studying Spanish. I’m enjoying it but I’m finding it quite difficult. Today we’re asking people about learning new things.Part 2W1: I’m learning to speak another language, actually. I’m learning French. I’m also learning, er, to drive.W2: I’m learning to play golf at the moment. Um, my husband and my son play golf, and when we go on holiday, I feel that I want to be able to play with them.W3: I’m learni ng to speak Spanish.W4: I am learning Arabic.M1: Well, I’ve been learning to play the guitar for about 50 years now. And it’s a constant process, so still learning bits, yes.W5: I’m learning yoga at the moment, and I’m finding it quite hard.M2: The courses I’m taking are, are training courses for leadership, er, negotiation, (and) evaluation.M3: I’m learning Swahili.W6: At the moment, I’m learning to paint and draw in evening classes for adults.W7: I’m studying part-time after work.M4: I’ve er, just learned how to er, do a lot of kayaking.W8: I am learning how to design a website at the moment.W9: I’m in a choir so singing, I guess, is pretty much the only thing I’m doing at the moment.M5: At the moment, I’m taking up a new instrument. It’s a traditional instrument from Zimbabwe, and it’s called the mbira. Er, let me show you.Part 3H: What’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever learned?M5: Patience, I think.W4: Arabic.M2: Courage.W3: Learning a language is particularly difficult for myself (me), so probably learning the Spanish. W6: The most difficult thing I have ever learned is Mandarin Chinese. I did it in evening classes a few years ago and I found it really, really difficult.W5: Probably capoeira, which is a Brazilian dance, martial art, fight thing. It’s a combination of all of these things. And yes, that was very difficult because there were lots of unusual body movements to learn.W1: Learning to drive was the most difficult thing.M3: Well, I learned some Sanskrit, and that’s got um, nine cases, two more than Latin. It’s quite difficult by most standards.M4: I think I found French very hard at school.W2: Um, I learned to play the trumpet at school. That was pretty difficult. Er ... and maybe learning to drive. I hated learning to drive.ListeningScriptsP = presenter; S = SallyP: Hi. You’re listening to Ask the Expert and in today’s program we’re talking about languages and how to learn a language. Our expert today is Sally Parker, who is a teacher. Hi Sally.S: Hello.P: Sally, our first question today is from Andy. He says, “I’ve just started learning English. My problem is that I’m too frightened to speak. My grammar is not very good, so I’m worried about saying the wrong thing.” Have you got any advice for Andy?S: OK. Well, the first thing is I think Andy should practice speaking to himself.P: Speaking to h imself? I’m not sure that’s a good idea.S: I know it sounds silly, but talking to yourself in a foreign language is a really good way to practice. You don’t have to feel embarrassed, because nobody can hear you. You can talk to yourself about anything you like –what you had for breakfast, where you’re going for the weekend – anything. And the more you do it, the more you will get used to hearing your own voice and your pronunciation, so you won’t feel so frightened in the classroom. Andy should try it.P: Hm, I suppose so. Anything else? What about his grammar?S: He has only just started learning English, so he is going to make lots of mistakes, but that’s nota problem. That’s how he’ll learn. Andy shouldn’t worry about making mistakes.P: You’re right. So Andy, try talking to yourself, and don’t worry about making mistakes. Our next problem comes from Olivia in Brazil. She is worried about pronunciation. She says, “The problem is I can’t understand native speakers. They speak so fast and I can’t understand their pronunciation.” So Sally, any ideas for Olivia?S: Well, first of all it’s a good idea for her to practice her listening skills. She should listen to English as much as possible to get used to how it sounds. Listen to the news, listen to podcasts, (and) watch English television.P: OK –that’s a good idea.S: And another thing she should do is to focus on listening and reading at the same time. If you listen to something on the Internet, you can often read the transcript. If you listen and read at the same time, it’ll help you see what the words sound like and how the words sound when a native speaker is talking.P: Great. Thank you, Sally. Well, huh, I’m afraid that’s all we have time for today, but next week we’ll be …ViewingScriptsN = Narrator; I = Ian Deary; W1 = Woman 1, etc.; M1 = Man 1, etc.N: Recent research into the history of IQ tests in Scotland suggests your IQ score might predict, to an extent at least, your health and even your life expectancy.W1: You have 45 minutes to do the test, OK?M1: OK.N: Bill and Davina are 79 years old. This is the second time they’ve done this test. The first time was in 1932, when every 11-year-old in Scotland was put through an intelligence test. It’s the only time this kind of mass testing has ever been done in the UK. The results were rediscovered recently in an Edinburgh basement. If you want to know how our intelligence changes as we get older, these results are a potential goldmine.I: We brought hundreds of people back and we got them to sit the exact same test that they had sat when they were aged 11. Now, these people are now 79 or 80 years old. We gave the same instructions. We gave the same test. And we gave the same time limit.M2: It was a little stickier than I thought it would be.M3: I walked through it quite happily, quite honestly.W2: I felt I must have been very bright at 11 if I sat that exam and passed.N: There were some intriguing results. Almost everyone had a better score at 80 than they did at 11.But some had gone from being just averagely intelligent to a much higher level.I: Now, that’s what really drives our research. We’re interested in: Why have those people who’ve gone (people gone) from IQ 100, at age 11, up to 110 or 120? What have they done right?What can be the recipe for successful aging? We’re finding that the person with more education, even though they had the same IQ in childhood, is doing slightly better in old age, on average. The person who had a more professional job, in old age, is doing slightly better on average than the person who had a manual job, despite the fact that they started at the same level. The people who smoked have got slightly less good mental ability than you would expect.N: What’s even more re markable is that the kids who had higher IQ scores at 11 are the very ones still alive today. So it seems high IQ in childhood is good for survival.Speaking for communicationRole-playScriptsA: Ah, OK, so we need to think of the best ideas for taking tests.B: Yep.A: Er, well, how about this one? It’s a good idea to study with friends at the same time each day. B: Mm, in my opinion, this is a really good idea. You can make it a regular part of your daily life. A: You mean like having breakfast at the same time, lunch at the same time, studying at the same time.B: Yes. And also I think it helps when you study with friends.A: Yeah, I, I think it’s more motivating.B: And you can actually talk to someone, not just look at books. I find that if I’m only reading my notes it’s easy to lose concentration. I start thinking about other things. But when you are talking to someone, it really helps you concentrate. So, yes, I agree with this one.A: OK. Another idea is not to eat too much before the exam.B: Oh, really?A: Mm, when I eat a lot, I get sleepy.B: Oh, I see. I think it depends. Because if you don’t eat enough, you start to feel hungry in the middle of the exam.A: Mm, that’s true.B: And then you can’t concentrate.A: Yeah, that’s true.B: So, I’m not sure about this advice, for me. As I said, I think it depends. I always try to eat a good meal before an exam. I’m so nervous that I never get sleepy.A: Hm. OK. What other ideas do you have?B: Well, there’s one thing I always do before an exam.A: What’s that?B: I go to bed early the night before.A: Right.B: I always try to sleep for eight hours the night before the exam.Further practice in listeningShort conversationsScriptsConversation 1W: It is the third time my paper has been rejected by journals because of language problems. M: You know, there is a writing center on campus. I had never got a grade better than C for any of my term papers before they helped me out.Q: What can we learn from the conversation?Conversation 2M: You said you would choose Spanish as your second foreign language. Why did you finally choose French instead?W: My grandfather speaks fluent French and he says that French is a language that any truly cultured person must know.Q: Why does the woman choose to learn French?Conversation 3W: You seem to have no problem understanding native speakers now. How about Dr. Brown’s speech last night?M: Excellent. But it was still too fast for me to follow, especially when Dr. Brown talked about those abstract theories.Q: What did the man do last night?Conversation 4M: It seems to me that Melissa is in a bad mood today. What’s wrong with her?W: Melissa forgot to bring her identification card yesterday and she was not allowed to enter the contest. You know she had prepared for the contest for months.Q: What made Melissa unhappy?Conversation 5W: I think my time at school is wasted because it is just studying books and doing tests.M: But you also learn new ideas and new ways of thinking. And more importantly you meet people and develop your understanding of people at school.Q: What does the man think of the woman’s opinion?Long conversationScriptsM: Miranda, let’s speak about your performance in class. You’re not participating; you’re careless with your assignments and often hand them in late. You don’t want to be here, do you?W: I’m sorry Dr. Smith. It’s just … I’ve got lots of things to do. I’m studying Web design and I’ma first-class player on our golf team. It’s hard to see why I need to take a Spanish languageclass!M: Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but learning an other language can improve your performance in all of your efforts. And it can be very useful sometimes, for instance, when you visit your father in Mexico.W: Gosh! What do you mean, professor? Just because my father does business in Mexico I’m supposed to learn Spanish –on top of everything else I have to learn? It’s just too much! And ifI don’t spend enough time on the golf course, I won’t remain a first-class player on the golfteam. I still don’t see why I should learn a language that’s so hard fo r me. There are no verb tenses on the golf course or in Web design!M: Listen Miranda, I’ve known your father since we were students at university 20 years ago –and have known you since you were a little girl. Of course, there are no verb tenses in golf or Web design. But I am giving you good advice. Please listen.W: Yes, of course, you’re like my favorite uncle.M: Your brain isn’t like a cup that has water flowing over its edge when it is full. Instead, it’s like a muscle. Learning Spanish exercises your brain in new ways, making it stronger. It will strengthen your critical thinking skills and creativity.W: Really?! Then I guess I can give it a try.Passage 1ScriptsI began learning Spanish when I was in high school, using a traditional academic method ofstudying verbs, sentence structures, and grammar by using textbooks and not much else. I found it very easy to learn, but was frustrated with the slow pace and repetitive nature of all my Spanish classes. So I worked extra hard in my spare time and asked my teacher if I could skip a level by the end of the semester.This was unsuccessful, however, because the school was not willing to test me or otherwise prove that I could be successful in the top level after skipping a level. This made things even more frustrating, as then I was stuck in a class where I already knew the material!Then I went on to college where I then used the language extensively both in and out of the classroom. I studied Spanish literature, culture, and linguistics and very much enjoyed the cultural and linguistic elements, but found the in-depth study of literature a very unbalanced way to study Spanish.I got a lot out of using my Spanish outside of the classroom, including a trip to Mexico with achurch group, where I found myself acting as an interpreter. It was certainly challenging, but it was also a lot of fun.I then also volunteered to be an interpreter in the community schools and also used my Spanish to teach English to some Spanish speakers. This is probably where I learned the most!Q1: What do we know about the speaker’s Spanish learning experience in high school?Q2: What made the speaker feel frustrated while leaning Spanish in high school?Q3: What did the speaker say about her study of Spanish literature in college?Q4: Which experience benefited the speaker most in terms of her use of Spanish?Passage 2Scripts and answersHave you ever heard of homeschooling? It is a legal choice for parents in most countries to provide their children with a learning environment as an 1) alternative to public or private schools outside the home. Parents cite 2) numerous reasons for homeschooling their children. The three reasons that are selected by the majority of parents in the United States are the concern about the 3) traditional school environment, the lack of religious or moral instruction, and the dissatisfaction with the 4) academic instruction at public and private schools. Homeschooling may also be a factor in the choice of parenting style. Homeschooling can be a choice for families living in isolated 5) countryside or living briefly abroad. Also many young 6) athletes and actors are taught at home.Homeschoolers often 7) take advantage of educational opportunities at museums, libraries, community centers, athletic clubs, after-school programs, churches, parks, and other community resources. 8) Secondary school level students may take classes at community colleges, which typically have open admission policies.Groups of homeschooling families often join up together to create homeschool co-ops. These groups typically meet once a week and provide a classroom environment. These are family- centered support groups whose members seek to pool their talents and resources 9) in a collective effort to broaden the scope of their children’s education. They provide a classroom environment where students can do hands-on and group learning such as performing, science experiments, art projects, foreign language study, spelling contests, discussions, etc. Parents whose children take the classes 10) serve as volunteers to keep costs low and make the program a success.Unit 2 Journey into the unknownListening to the worldSharingScriptsF = Finn; W1 = Woman 1, etc.; M1 = Man 1, etc.Part 1F: I’ve spent a lot of time living in different countries so there isn’t one place I think of as home.I’ve lived in Scotland and Pola nd and China. I love going to new places and learning about new cultures. Today, I’m asking people about travel.Part 2W1: I love travel. It’s one of my passions.M1: Well, I enjoy it a lot. I have traveled to India several times. I lived there, and I’ve lived here, and I’ve been to Istanbul once and I enjoyed that very much.W2: I’ve done quite a bit of traveling on holidays and stuff. I think it’s good, good exp erience.W3: You get to meet different people coming from different backgrounds, and that’s really important to get an understanding.M2: It’s always just nice to get out and experience a different culture and different lifestyle.W4: I get very excited about the thought of going to most countries, any country.W5: I love to travel to different countries.M3: Absolutely love traveling. I’ve been traveling for about two and a half years solid now.W6: I’ve been to Turkey. I’ve been to Egypt. I’ve been to Malta.M4: I work as an expedition leader and so I actually operate in different countries around the world, many places outside the United Kingdom.Part 3F: What do you like about traveling?M3: I think you mature a lot when you travel. You, er, you learn … oh, just completely different experiences to what you’re used to at home.W6: I like the airport experience. I love that.M5: I like the arrival more than the traveling.W5: To see art especially. We love to see theater in other countries.M4: You see some, some of the most beautiful scenery around the world which you wouldn’t experience in other countries.M2: I just really like getting out there and experiencing a different culture, getting far away from, you know, what we’re used to in Australia, and meeting new people.W4: The anticipation of being in a new place, of seeing very different things, er, of hearing a different language, (and) of eating different food. Everything that travel has to offer.Part 4F: What don’t you like?W6: I don’t like long flights.W3: I suppose plane journeys aren’t always the most exciting of things.W1: Flying. I don’t particularly like flying, but it’s a necessity when you live in Ireland, you know. M2: I suppose the biggest problem I have with traveling is living out of a suitcase.W4: In all honesty, I actually see the whole travel as an adventure in itself. So, er, when, when I was backpacking, and we all … we ran out of money, or we were in dangerous situations, I actually quite enjoyed that.M4: You spend a lot of time outside the United Kingdom, and the disadvantage of that is, that you, you tend to miss families and friends. I miss out on normal things in life, so … I’ve been outside the United Kingdom for two t hirds of the year. I’d say that’s the main disadvantage. W5: The hardest thing for me is that I am handicapped. And so sometimes getting around, especially very old cities, is very difficult.M5: My wife’s usually late for … getting to the airport. It wasn’t until I, I got married I actually started missing flights.ListeningScriptsOne place that I think everyone should have the chance to see is Venice. But the problem is that this beautiful and charming city is slowly sinking. Ever since the 14th century engineers have tried to work out a way to stop the floods in Venice, but so far nobody has managed. Sometimes there are as many as 40 floods per year between March and September, and Venice is actually sinking at a rate of two and a half inches every decade. It’s very possible that your grandchildren, and their grandchildren will never have the chance to see this fragile city. Everyone should have the chance to enjoy the city, to walk across its famous bridges, through its ancient squares. There are no cars in Venice, and many people think it helps this to be one of the most romantic cities in the world. So, can it be saved?Well, they are trying. Barriers are being put in to try and stop the water getting too high. This is viewed as a temporary measure, although they should last 100 years, so the problem is finding a permanent solution. If you want my advice, go there while you still can, and then together we can put pressure on the government to spend the money it needs to find a permanent way to keep this beautiful and historic city for future generations. We have an opportunity now to save this city, and we must, before it’s too late.ViewingScriptsV = V oice-over; M1 = Man 1, etc.; JL = Joanna Lumley; W1 = Woman 1, etc.;EH = Eamonn Holmes; JJE = Jocelyn Jee Esien; AF = Alex Fraser;JP = John Palmer; MJ = Melanie Jones; LS = Lucy Sassoon; Vs = VoicesV: There are so many amazing places to see around the world. Here are some of your favorites.Welcome to Bangkok! With over six million people, it’s big, it’s busy and you love it! It’s very good for shopping and the nightlife is great, too.M1: It’s got lots of clubs, bars, shops, food … Everything you need, really.V: There are 400 temples in Bangkok, so Bangkok is an important place for Buddhists around the world, and tourists love to visit the temples, too.V: You also love the Masai Mara in Kenya. It’s a fantastic place to watch animals: zebras, elephants, antelope, hippos, and lions. You can see them all. So, why is it so special?JL: Huge open spaces, fantastic animals, just wide open freedom, warmth, friendliness, and all underneath the great African skies.V: Now a popular, romantic city … the city of lights, Paris.W1: To me, Paris is elegant, romantic and expensive.W2: Go in the spring and enjoy the art galleries.V: And enjoy the views of the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower.V: Back to Africa now, South Africa. Yes, it’s Cape Town. And behind Cape Town is the 1,000-meter-high Table Mountain, with its fantastic views.EH: Cape Town is one of my top three places on earth.JJE: Friendly people, loads of beaches, and the food is unbelievably cheap.M2: We went there um, over New Year and it was lovely. I mean, just a lovely, lovely place.EH: Great place, Cape Town.V: You love the mountains and beaches that make Cape Town so special. And these little guys –the penguins.V: This is the big moment: the number one place to see before you die. Your favorite is … the Grand Canyon! The Grand Canyon is an amazing place. You can read about the Grand Canyon and you can look at photographs and videos, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing.AF: There is so much to see that you never stop seeing something new.JP: The colors are just so … amazing.MJ: With every changing inch of the sunset, the colors in the canyon change.LS: I remember actually sitting there … and I just cried.V: But there’s only one word that everyone says when they talk about the Grand Canyon:Vs: It really is awesome … Just completely awesome … Awesome … “Awesome” is the word …It was awesome … Awesome … Awesome … “Awesome” is the only word … Truly awesome.Speaking for communicationRole-playScriptsConversation 1Man: Excuse me. We’re trying to get to the carnival. Is this the right bus stop?Woman: Yes, but you don’t need the bus. It’s very close.Man: Oh! Can we walk?Woman: Yes, it takes about 10 minutes from here. Just go straight on. You’ll hear the music! Man: OK. Thank you very much.Conversation 2Woman: Excuse me, can yo u help me? I’m looking for the Plaza Hotel. Is this the right way? Man: Um … Plaza Hotel, er, Plaza Hotel. Oh, yes, keep going, past the cinema and take the first left.Woman: OK.Man: Then keep going for about 15 minutes until you reach the end of the road. And you’ll see the sign for the hotel. You can’t miss it.Woman: OK. Um, can you show me on the map?Man: Sure.Conversation 3Man 1: Excuse me, we want to get to The Grand Motel. Is it far?Woman: Um … sorry, I’ve no idea. Jim, do you know?Man 2: What?Woman: The Grand Motel?Man 2: The Grand Motel? Yeah, it’s just over there. Er, just go to the end of this street. Go left and go past the … um … there’s a restaurant. Go past the restaurant and it’s on the left. Man 1: On the left. So I need to go to the end of the street, turn left, go past the restaurant and it’s on the left. Man 2: Yeah, that’s it.Man 1: Thanks a lot.Group discussionScriptsOK, well, we would like to go to Easter Island. It is very isolated, very far from other places. Er, we are going to travel there by plane and stay with different families and the trip is going to take three months. We want to experience the local culture, their music, food, and way of life. So our plan is to speak to the local people about these things and to film them. We hope to find out about their traditions and to see what they think of their history. Well, um, finally, my husband and I always wanted to go to Easter Island. I read about it when I was a child and I saw pictures of these amazing stone heads on the island. So for us this is the journey of our dreams.Further practice in listeningShort conversationsScriptsConversation 1M: I still can’t decide whether we should have a whole package tour or a self-drive tour.W: A whole package tour means having to spend time in the confined quarters of a coach, bus or train with people you are not familiar with, but considering our budget, perhaps we have to sacrifice comfort and privacy.Q: What does the woman say about a whole package tour?Conversation 2W: I was so shocked when I saw the tiny, dirty houses where the children grew up.M: So was I. I’m afraid that they don’t ha ve enough food, let alone go to school. Next time we should have our daughter come with us. She always takes things for granted. Q: What are the two speakers planning to do?Conversation 3M: I will say it again: India is not a safe place for a woman to travel alone.W: But if I wear the proper clothes, and learn the cultural dos and don’ts, it should be fine. Please don’t be so alarmed.Q: What will the woman do?Conversation 4W: I’m going to travel with my five-year-old this summer. But I feel kind of uncertain whether things will work out.M: You know Jane? She and her husband spend every holiday traveling in a jeep with their son and dog. Probably you should go to her before you go.Q: What does the woman feel uncertain about?Conversation 5M: Many people love a good story about somebody traveling in time – either to repair the future, or to observe the past. Why are time travel stories so popular?W: I think it’s human nature to dream of what-ifs. What if I could see an alien? Q:What are the two speakers talking about?Long conversationScriptsM: It’s good to have you back at work Emily. How was your trip to the Amazon rainforest?W: It was like a spectacular dream; I saw so many more things than I ever could have imagined.The plants are so thick that you couldn’t even see the sun or the sky above, and there are more shades of green than I’ve seen before in my life!M: Wow, with so many plants, how did you get around?W: We rode a tour boat down the Amazon River –it connects the whole jungle, and the local people use it to travel, too. It’s amazing being somewhere so far away from technology, without any electricity for miles and miles. The local people don’t even see the world outside of the jungle, never traveling more than 15 minutes up or down the river their whole lives! M: What an entirely different lifestyle! It must be completely different there. Did you get to meet any of the villagers?W: Oh yes! Here’s the story: I finished a small blue bottle of wine and was about to throw it away.The tour guide told me to save it. Later, when we arrived at one of the villages, he introduced me to an old woman there who greeted our boat. I gave her the wine bottle as a gift. She looked at it like a great treasure, and she said that it would be an honored prize for her hut. I was shocked that something so small and common for me – could mean so much!M: Emily, I suppose we really take modern life for granted.Q1: What does the woman say about the plants in the Amazon rainforest?Q2: What does the woman say about the local people?Q3: Why was the old woman in the village so excited?Q4: What has the woman learned from her traveling experience?Passage 1ScriptsI believe watching nature programs on television is not going to give us and our children a real experience of nature. On the contrary, they may distance us from nature – actual nature – even further.Because real nature experiences mean contact with nature. It means being with and within nature, to experience it with all five senses.。
